The present disclosure relates to a waste toner storing container for storing waste toner discharged from an image carrying member, and relates to an image forming apparatus that includes the waste toner storing container.
In general, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile apparatus, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor drum (an image carrying member) is visualized by developer in a developing device, and the visualized image is transferred to a recording medium such as a print sheet. At this time, some toner may not be transferred to the recording medium and remain on the surface of the photoconductor drum. The remnant toner is removed from the surface of the photoconductor drum by a cleaning device, and is collected, as waste toner, in a waste toner storing container.
The cleaning device includes a storage portion for temporarily storing the waste toner. The storage portion is provided with a screw. The waste toner stored in the storage portion is conveyed in one direction by the screw and is discharged from a discharge portion of the storage portion to a waste toner storing portion connected to the storage portion. The waste toner discharged from the discharge portion flows into a waste toner storing container and is stored therein.
Meanwhile, a color image forming apparatus including a plurality of photoconductor drums includes a plurality of cleaning devices that are respectively provided in correspondence with the photoconductor drums. In addition, a color image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt (image carrying member) for carrying a color toner image formed from toner images transferred from the photoconductor drums. The color toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium by a transfer device. At this time, some toner may not be transferred to the recording medium and remain on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt. As a result, the color image forming apparatus includes a cleaning device for removing the remnant toner from the intermediate transfer belt. In the color image forming apparatus, the waste toner storing container is elongated in a direction in which the plurality of cleaning devices are arranged, so as to store the waste toner discharged from the plurality of cleaning devices. In addition, a conventional waste toner storing container is provided with a conveyance screw that conveys the stored waste toner in the longitudinal direction of the waste toner storing container to make the bulk of the stored waste toner even.